Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has insisted that Naby Keita and Fabinho needed time to adapt to a new environment after moving to Merseyside in the summer.
Both Keita and Fabinho had slow starts to their seasons due to injuries and indifferent form, but have become an integral part of the team in recent weeks as the Reds lead the rest of the teams in the Premier League.
While Fabinho has played in a deeper role in midfield, Keita has offered the creativity in the attacking midfield role for the Liverpool.
Klopp has admitted that Keita and Fabinho needed time to get used to their surroundings and feels that Keita, in particular, can get even better.
“But it was clear Fabinho and Naby needed time to adapt”, Klopp told Liverpool’s official website.
“Naby is still not exactly the player he can be, that’s good. But he is really exciting, it’s nice to see him.
“It was always clear we need all of them.
"We play [on Tuesday] again, I have no clue in the moment who I can line up. We have to see.
“We have to recover and do whatever we can to get fresh legs again.
"Then, let’s go against Napoli.”
Both Keita and Fabinho started in Liverpool’s 4-0 win against Bournemouth on Saturday, and the duo will be key in the Reds’ tough fixtures list in the coming weeks as they enter a season-defining period.
